Len No SPICE!
by YellowFluffiesForever22
Summary: He fell in love with her. Even though, from the very beginning, he saw the love in her eyes...for his best friend. "Hey, Len, how can I make you happy?" "Look at me—not as your childhood friend that always gave you flowers whenever you were sad, cracked bad jokes, a banana addict, the second option—but, as a man." KaitoxRin at first, eventual RinxLen.
1. Chapter 1

**Rated T for mature themes. **

* * *

**Len No SPICE! **

_She meant the entire world to him._

_That's why he had to find some daisies for her._

_Len knew it wasn't good to wander further from their favourite meadow...but he found nothing there, so his only option was to look elsewhere._

_A broken and old stone wall separated the meadow from the farm next door. The farmer rarely strolled by the wall, so Len had never known what he looked like, or what his personality was._

_The fact that he would get in trouble for 'breaking in' did not enter his mind as he continued his fervent search for the flowers._

_He climbed over the low barricade, and rolled onto the ticklish grass of the farm. Len quickly stood up. He glanced around him, finding fields of daisies and various wild plants. He could not contain his joy. He grinned like a madman, and he felt the rush of bliss dash through his body._

_Len ran forward. As he sprinted, he bent sideways to scoop the daisies in one go. After leaving a bare line on the patch, he turned around and ran, but this time, he bent on his other side to collect more._

_By the time he was done, he had two handfuls of daisies. Len could already imagine the smile on her face when she saw the bunches __he was bringing._

_At the same moment, he heard the ear-grating roar of a tractor. The blonde-haired boy froze, but managed to stir up some courage to turn around. There, approaching him at a steady pace was the farmer on his tractor._

_He was a young-looking man, maybe twenty or less, and he wore a handmade straw-hat and mucky boots. He looked almost bored; like chasing after a dirty kid playing with daisies was a normal sight to him. Since he was on a tractor, the speed was slow, yet, Len felt very uneasy as it trudged by closer and closer..._

_Len swallowed._

_As fast as he could, he dashed back to the wall, and jumped over it with ease. He landed on some soil of the meadow and bumped his head against the side of the stony wall._

_Len felt his forehead, and then glanced at his hand. Shining like gold coins was dark red liquid at the tips of his fingers. _How was he to explain this to his mother?

_He clenched his dirty hand. Come what may, he had to bring the flowers to her...or else she'd never stop crying._

_Everyone knew that only Len's hand-picked flowers could stop her weeping._

_Len began walking across the meadow—their meadow—and expected to find her sitting on the picnic blanket where he had left her before running off._

_He found something even more._

_A boy, maybe older than Len by a year or two, was caressing his best friend's face with a gentle smile. He wore the same clothes as Len—a white tee turning grey, black shorts that seemed to sag and dark school-shoes._

_Len watched them, unable to neither speak nor move._

_The boy was whispering to her as she wiped away her tears with a laugh. The blue-haired boy had torn a bit of his shirt to place on her knee, which, before, had been bleeding heavily._

_Len wanted to run up and give her the flowers he had broke into a farm for. But something kept him away, something thick and impossible to stop as it grew..._

_Besides, she didn't need the flowers to cheer her up anymore, she had that boy._

_And later on in life, Len realised, she wouldn't need him either, like the daisies that he had to throw away that very day._

* * *

I wake up after trying for hours to escape that horrible..._nightmare_.

The air is humid in my bedroom, and another person is in the bed with me. I look down to find dark green hair sprawled out on my pillow. Her eyes are closed...and I have no recollection of how everything led to this.

I glance at the clock that stands quietly on my nightstand. 5:30 AM.

Whatever happened last night has to be eradicated from my bedroom, immediately.

I grab her shoulder, and begin shaking her vigorously. A groan falls out as she rises out of her previous position on my bed. I look her right in the eye, hoping she realises things as quick as me.

"Ah!" she screams, pulling away from me. Then she takes several glances around before laughing. "Oh, it's you, Lenny-kun."

"Ah, yeah, hi," I greet her, as if it was normal to have such a meeting. "I'm pretty sure I asked you to leave as soon as possible after our session," I say, not afraid of being blunt.

I'm a shameless womaniser, I admit. Every night, or morning, after the 'session', I always shoo the girls from my apartment in case..._she_...walks in.

I don't want her to think bad about me, even though she is probably well-aware of my antics.

She pouts, thinking it makes her cute but to be blunt, I'd say, she looks like a pufferfish at most. "Len-kun, I just wanted to cuddle~"

I am already wide awake, and pulling my trousers on. "Cuddling isn't what I do. Go pay for a male escort, or something," I snap.

She sniffles, but begins to haul her clothes, that have been scattered everywhere, together.

She waves goodbye, after applying lipstick and some foundation, then, eventually, silently leaves my apartment.

The moment I hear the soft **_click!_** of the front door, I stuff my hand into my trouser's pocket to reveal a packet of cigarettes. I walk out onto my balcony. The air is crispy and sharp, but, smoking inside is dangerous. Gotta take safety precautions, even if you're a hopeless delinquent.

I reach in to take one stick out. With my yellow plastic lighter, I light the cigarette and stick it into my mouth. At this time, the sun isn't up yet, and the streetlights are still on. The air suddenly becomes chillier, and that's not good. Especially if you're a shirtless hobo.

I begin to walk back into my room, when the door opens. Rinwaddles inside, holding her bare arms as she is struck by the cold breeze coming from outside.

"Len!" she shrieks, pointing a finger at me—or to be more exact—my cigarette. "You lied—! You said you had _quit!_"

I shrug, placing my cigarette on the ashtray lying beside my bed. I toss a t-shirt over my head then shrugs a thick jacket on, snatch my cigarette, before strolling out to the balcony follows.

She shivers as soon as she steps out. I sigh, and begin taking my jacket off.

Rin looks at me, wide-eyed. I wrap my jacket around her tiny shoulders, and allow a smile to take over my face. Her face crumples into an overwhelmed expression, and tears start to form in her eyes. I wipe them away with my finger, and once my skin touches hers, I feel a small shiver run through my spine.

"Thank you..." she whispers, and takes my unoccupied hand into hers.

I puff out a dark cloud of smoke and stretch out to give her a pat on the head with the hand that holds the cigarette. I make sure no ash falls on her hair.

After five minutes of staying silent, I turn to her, puffing out more smoke, but making sure none makes contact with her face. "Why are you up so early?" I ask, tilting my head.

Rin shrugs. "I heard the door close...and I thought you went out or Kaito came by... Either way, it would've been rude to roll over, ignore it and fall asleep!"

I frown. "Why would you think Kaito would swing by?"

"I dunno...maybe raid our half-empty fridge?" she jokes, and laughs a little. I, however, refuse to even crack a smile.

_Kaito is all she ever thinks and talks about._

"Maybe you should sleep more... You'll get pimples and eye-bags if you're not careful!" I tease, poking her stomach playfully.

Rin pouts. It's absolutely adorable. "What about you, Mr. I-quit-smoking-but-actually-I-didn't-yolo?" She stops and adds with a softer voice, "You should sleep too."

I smile reassuringly. "Stop worrying about me, Rin. I'll be fine."

Rin looks doubtful, but turns on her heel and out my bedroom. Ten minutes after her departure, I'm still staring at my wooden door.

...did she even realise that she stole my jacket, and now I'm going to get frostbite?

I bet she did.

* * *

I close my locker with an agitated sigh.

I should've gone back to sleep this morning... I'm very tired right now.

I loosen my school tie—the darn school tie; _I blame all my problems on it_—and undo a few buttons. I feel so...feverish.

I watch the books I'm holding fall to the floor, making a loud and attention-grabbing noise. People gasp as they stare at me crumple to the ground, coughing and wheezing, as I held my stomach in utmost pain. I hold my head to keep me steady, though I don't know how it would help, I just feel safer if my hand was there. I look around, and there are doubles of every person I see in the corridor.

My hand slips, so, my head falls out of my reach, and the impact onto the floor strikes the final blow.

Rin, a blurry figure with another to her side, rushes to my aid and shakes my arm, like it would help. Rin really can't stay calm, not even for all the oranges in the world. "Len!" She cries, and then tears start to form in her eyes.

Wow, this feels so much like a Korean drama, seriously. Except Rin is just being a _little_ over-dramatic.

I wipe her eyes, weakly, and with a trembling hand, I place a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Rin holds my hand, and brings it to her wet cheek. I manage to gasp out, "Rin, shush, I'm not dying, seriously."

She laughs but chokes halfway. I frown. A genuine laugh and smile suits her better..._definitely_.

Only for a second I close my eyes, but slowly, I drift off, unable to return to the real world. "Len!" Rin calls out, again, but gives up with shaking me to life through my limp arm."Len!"

That's the last thing I hear as I black out.

* * *

_Rin_ _wanted Len to play dress up with her again._

_"Since it's raining outside, and we can't go out to our meadow, let's play dress-up!" she insisted, and tugged his sleeve roughly._

_Len could only helplessly agree._

_"Kaito __can never fit into this costume...that's why it's good to have a slim friend like you, Len!" Rin said cheerfully, and held up a pink and sparkly princess dress._

At least I am a necessity to you, Rin... But these games will only last a short while...

_Len shuddered at that thought. He is still important to her, he is!_

_Rin __took hold of Len, and began stripping off his few pieces of clothing. She threw the dress over him, all whilst dragged her best friend in front of a mirror, and Len gasped in horror._

_Looking back at him was not his reflection, but a girl with short blonde hair falling across her face in a bedraggled way, and a princess dress on her!_

_Len mentally died._

_"You look like _me_, Len! _Me!_" Rin was laughing so hard, she collapsed onto the wooden floor, clutching her stomach._

_Len turned to her. Seeing her smile like this was enough for him..._

_Despite the degradation of dressing up as a fairy tale princess, he'd still do it to make her laugh._

_Even that changed._

* * *

A hand is holding mine, and it is comforting.

Until I crack an eye open and the one grasping my hand is none other than Kaito-stinking-Shion. I scream, and desperately crawl away from him. I scoot as far as I can from him.

Kaito is surprised, and, most definitely, hurt. The hand that was holding onto mine slowly clenches up and is taken away by the ugly and pesky blue-haired guy.

"You passed out in the hallway, Len... Rin was worried about you. She couldn't do anything but scream for help, because she was too weak to carry you." Kaito pauses, and laughs at a memory, "Unlike the olden days, when I didn't even have to lift a _finger_ when carrying you home after tripping over your own feet."

"Whatever," I say sourly. I just want him to leave. And never come back.

"What happened to us, Len? What happened to our...friendship?" he asks, but I ignore him. He grabs my face and forces me to look at him straight in the eye. "You and Rin! Our friendship! That's all that mattered to me... Yet everything shattered, anyways..."

I slap his hand off. "There was never a 'Me, you and Rin'—there was never even a friendship!" I yell, hoping he'd just let go of the stupid past already.

But I know. There was a 'Len and Rin'. Then he showed up, and **_BAM!_** Goodbye, 'Len and Rin', welcome, 'Kaito and Rin'. He has always thought that it was 'Len, Kaito and Rin'. The truth is, once he entered the picture, there was no room left for me anymore. He hogged all the space, and I was forgotten.

I was forgotten and _alone_.

"Tsk." I grit my teeth, and crawl under the blankets of the infirmary bed, avoiding his worried eyes. "Just go back and comfort Rin. Tell her there's nothing to worry about—that I was only asking for attention. Don't tell her I'm sleep-deprived."

Kaito stands up, turns to the door, but couldn't help it, and glances back at me. "But—"

I grimace. He is truly an annoying human being. I point to the door. "Now!"

Kaito does as I demand, and strides out of the infirmary.

I can hear from the inside Rin's loud yells and Kaito's assuring yet unconvincing voice. Rin should stop worrying her pretty little head off, because, no matter how much I try and stop myself, it makes me feel guilty that I made Rin upset and distressed. I want to be the one that soothes and comforts her—not the source of her sadness!

I roll over to my side where I force myself to sleep, and I forget about everything for a little while.

* * *

"Woah, Len, bro, heard you got swept up into the infirmary. What 'appened?" Akaito asks, begging for the details.

I rest my legs on the picnic table, and breathe out a huge puff of dark smoke. "Just wanted to meet some cute nurse, nothing big."

Akaito holds up a fist, and as he wants, I fist bump his fist, and we both let out a laugh. Akaito lets his head lay in his palms, and he asks with a curious tone, "Why do you need another girl, Lenny boy? I mean look at ya," he gestures at the three girls currently playing with my shirt, hair and face, "you've got plenty!"

"I get bored." I reply with a shrug.

"We never get bored of you, Len-sama~" one of the girls whispers, the pink-haired one, and they all giggle together as I sigh. "We're very jealous of your friend—what was her name again? Lynn? Finn? Erin?"

"Rin!" I answer, more like snap at them, to silence their ramble.

"Ah, right!" She hums, "Yeah, Rin. She's close to you, and she lives with you too! Talk about lucky!" They laugh in unison again. "But, there is no reason to be envious of her; she is dating that older guy, Kaito-kun. In a way, I'm still jealous. How can she get a guy like Kaito-senpai?"

"I agree with you wholeheartedly," the dark-haired and narrow faced one chirps, nodding her head and twirling a string of her hair 'round her finger. "I mean, she's so..._mediocre_. She doesn't want long and fabulous hair, like us, yet her hair colour would do her some good! Her fashion taste..._meh_.Wishy washy and dull. She's no good at the majority of her subjects, she is most likely to be a high school dropout, really, and, what is she again? Oh yeah. A lonely, and pitiful orphan."

I retract my arm out of the other girl's grasp—the light blue-haired and petite one who says nothing, just reacts and agrees with her friends— and met the eyes of the 'clever' brunette.

"Don't speak about Rin like that, you mongrel," I hiss, standing up and stomping as far away as I could. Akaito had watched the scene with wide eyes and his jaw dropped right below the Earth's core. As I left the scene, behind me I hearAkaito comfort the girls, though he is not as smooth as me. As I storm off, I take my cigarette out of my mouth and squish it into tiny particles. I allow the wind to sweep it off my hand and carry it to who-knows-where.

Akaito soon catches up, not a bit breathless. "Yo, man, what happened there?" he asks, catching my wrist before I can walk away. "So they insulted Rin... Why are you so pissed?"

I grit my teeth and glare at Akaito. "Not only that—they called her an orphan."

Akaito's jaw drops, again. "So what, bro? It's sad, yeah, but—"

"But nothing, 'bro'!" I scream, and continue my journey down the pavement. Akaito follows, speechless. "I'm her family. She's not lonely, I'm most _certainly_ _not lonely_; altogether we're not pitiful, we're _happy_ together! ...just go back to those chicks and tell them I'm not coming back to them. They can go and jump into some other guy's pants, but not _mine_."

I stomp all the way home, leaving Akaito with the infuriating set of girls, and head straight to bed where I, face first, let myself fall onto the fluffy mattress.

After a few minutes goes by, Rin enters my room, a small and worried frown on her face.

"My shota-bunny, are you okay?" she asks, with a serious expression, yet laughs a little by the nickname. "I saw you come inside. I said 'hi', but you ignored me so I had a feeling you were upset..." She trails off, biting her lip nervously, like I would yell at her for being concerned. (Though I wouldn't, not even for a billion yen, just, _no_.) Her uniform has been replaced by her favourite orange tee and blue short shorts. I cover my face with my hand.

"Go away, Rin, I'm tired," I growl, but she doesn't back away or obey my demands, instead, she walks forward, removes my hand with her inhuman strength and pinches my cheeks.

"You really need a girlfriend, Lenny-poo. You're so depressing lately. I'll hook you up, 'kay?"

I nod, just so she can stop hurting me...

Rin laughs, and sits beside me. "You're so girl-deprived... It might become a sickness if we're not careful!" she teases, slapping my thigh playfully.

I look up at her, removing my hand, and saw her tilt her head and smile. I hide underneath my palms again. How can I tell her? How can I tell this girl who made me this wreck of a human being that it's all her fault I'm like this? _It's impossible. _

But, lucky for me, I had carefully hidden away all the evidence, all the proof of my previous sessions in this very room, so Rin does not—will never—realise how wrong she is.

* * *

**1/11/13 - HAPPY NOVEMBER! *sets fire to fallen leaves like a boss* Anyway, yes, I know, this is an overdone fic, yadda yadda. But, I had this 'inspiration' for this idea, literally two years ago, and I don't like throwing away stories that haven't been written yet... So, you feel me bro? uvu BTW, I've already written chapter four... So this story will /probably/ be updated weekly... Or sooner.**

**The title either means 'Len's Spice' or a broken English version of 'Len has NO Spice.' I kept the old title... Ah, how creative. Q^Q**


	2. Chapter 2

**Len No SPICE!**

A few days after the incident, the one where I collapsed due to lack of sleep, Rin brought me to a _gōkon_. She said that she would call a couple of her friends, and that _I_ should do the same.

I begged Yuuma to come along, and _after_ he laughed at my face until he was satisfied, he agreed to it. Rinto, this guy I befriended through a science project, was easy to persuade...he's been searching for a girlfriend for months, so he's perfect to bring along, right? Dell, the guy who discovered smoking alongside me, was a tough guy to deal with..._but_, eventually, he came around. I also asked this guy—_Mikuo_—to come, too. I don't know him as much as the other three boys, but, he's close friends with Meito—my other friend—and Dell...so, we always see each other.

For the record, I found this task of 'inviting' my friends extremely tedious and embarrassing.

Rin also said that the girls she's bringing along are a surprise.

I drag my body along the pavement, my gaze completely set on the stone floor. I can hear my friends chat behind me with excited and loud voices.

Soon, the _izakaya_ comes into view, and I groan. I can practically hear the guys' smiles from behind me. At the entrance, I see Rin and a couple of girls behind her. She grins broadly as I approach hesitantly.

"Len! You're finally here!" she exclaims, clapping happily. The boys start waving at the girls, and all of them respond positively. Except for a grumpy teal-haired girl at the end of the line. She snorts when I try to smile at her.

How rude.

Rin talks to the waiter at the front, and he leads us to our private booth and takes our drink orders before leaving silently. Instantly, the room fills with noisy chatter, and I can feel myself shrink in the background.

Rinto and a girl named Lenka occupy a corner of the room, chatting in hushed voices and sending each other small smiles. I'm guessing, by the end of this, Rinto'll have a girlfriend, no doubt.

"Why are you so..._anti-social?_" Dell asks Neru in a vain attempt of being friendly. Sadly, he failed. Neru—a girl Rin often speaks to, because they are in three of the same classes—raises an eyebrow at his question. Rin had confiscated her phone before we entered the room, so now she's extremely ticked off. If I were Dell, I'd rather step back a few feet and call an ambulance in advance.

Gumi and Yuuma use the karaoke machine for themselves, and they are dancing and singing in their own little world. A world I'd _hate_ to live in, especially if I'm the only person other than those two.

Once Mikuo and a blonde-haired girl locked eyes, things turned upside down. Her name was Lily, and she and Mikuo were dating each other. When both parties found out that they went to a gōkon without the other's awareness, they started fighting. Rin rented a private room for them, so they wouldn't 'ruin' the night for the rest of us.

Soon, the drinks arrive, and I take my lemonade coca cola quietly. No one else grabs what they ordered, too busy with what they're currently doing.

"_Hey...!_" Rin greets as she crawls up beside me, this stupid and toothy smirk on her face. I turn to her with a bored expression.

"Yo."

Rin punches my shoulder, giggling. "Where's my guy, huh? We're missing one guy!"

I nearly choke on my lemonade cola. "Oh... Whoops, my bad." I carry on sipping my drink, when I come to realise something, "Hey, don't you have Kaito already?"

Rin blushes. "I know! I was just kiddin'!"

In a way to entertain myself, I look around the booth. It's rather small for a party room for eight or less people... It's plain and quite dull. The karaoke machine takes up a lot of space, and not to mention the table and sofa seats, too.

At another corner, I spot the teal-haired girl again, but this time, she looks very fidgety. She fumbles with her bag, she tugs on her hair and she chews on her bottom lip eagerly intently. I see her eyes wander to the exit every once and a while when I realise—she does not want to be here.

I wonder how Rin even convinced her into coming along... It looks like she has better things to do. Plus, I've never seen her around Rin... Maybe a new girl?

I watch her stand up and bow, I assume she thinks no one sees her, for she stops halfway through her curtsy and swivels around and leaves. Rin jabs my ribs and hisses into my ear, "Don't let her go out just like that—_follow her!_"

Rin jabs me again to make sure I got the message, so I stand up and scoot my way outside. No one notices my departure and I'm quite offended by that fact. Once I'm standing out in the hallway, I glance both ways and find it empty. Except for the resounding **_tap tap tap_** coming from a pair of high heels to the..._right_!

I quickly follow the sounds, leaving my complete trust to my ears, and it leads me to the women's toilets. Luckily, there is a bench right outside, which I sit on gratefully.

I play with my thumbs and I get lost in the joy. Not until the girl steps outside do I realise how stupid I sound... Giggling and twiddling my thumbs... I think I'd agree with someone who says I need to be checked into a _mental asylum_.

"Did you follow me here?" she asks, staring down at me with her icy green eyes.

I don't notice at first...but instead of the blue sundress she was wearing previously, a pencil skirt, a clean white blouse, really high high heels and an office jacket have replaced her cute pieces of clothing.

Even her hair has changed.

Back at the booth, her hair was tied into two twin tails flowing at her sides. But, now, her hairstyle is gone and pulled into a high, tight bun. She has dark red lipstick applied on her small lips and she purses them in a scary way.

"W-what...ha-happened...?" I stutter, looking at her from head to toe. She clicks her tongue, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Don't tell anyone this—but," she leans in closer to make sure no one hears, although no one is here to eavesdrop, "I'm working part time at an office, not that it's even my choice... Do not tell my brother, Kagamine, _don't_."

She ends our conversation there. She struts off, not bothering to say goodbye.

Rude.

Besides, what's there to hide?

* * *

_The street was cobbled, and thanks to that, Len would trip, frequently. Rin would laugh...but would stop once she saw blood._

_Although Len despised the cobbled street, he had so many memories of being with Rin on it. He remembered the times when they'd run out of the orphanage during bath time, and they would take the cobbled street as a shortcut to the meadow._

_Sometimes Rin would ask a nun's son to take them to the bakery on his bike. They weren't that close to that boy...but the boy's appearance was safely tucked into Len's precious memory box. Len had to admit, he was a decent fellow._

_He wouldn't be surprised if that guy was married already._

_If Len remembered correctly, the cobbled street would still be there... But, hey, it's hard to confine fading memories inside your brain after so many years. And Len hated that about human brains... It could remember the dumbest and the most unnecessary things in the world...but it didn't savour the precious memories._

_Len hated that about life._

* * *

She clutches my hand, giggling, as I open the door with one finger. I lead her inside the darkness, brave as any other superhero out there. I don't bother turning on the lights because, honestly, I don't need 'em.

The girl instantly takes control, pulling my collar and pouncing without hesitation. I grab her intruding hands, and we flip positions. I basically dump her on my bed and look down at her, evilly.

I will allow her to do as she pleases, but she will not control the wild beast that easily.

* * *

When I regain consciousness, I feel around to see if someone is beside me.

There is.

I open my eyes to see green hair through the darkness. Not again.

"Hey," I hiss, irritated, "you have to go home!"

She wakes up suddenly, and slaps me in the process. She looks startled, but sighs when she sees me. "Oh...hi, Len..." She yawns and stretches while I glare at her.

"Hey!" I yell, a little quieter than the average volume of a shout, "You have to go! Oh, and close the door _quietly_, okay? My friend is sleeping."

She nods, slipping into her clothes and smiles. "Okay, okay! I'll call you, Len-kun~" She runs out of my bedroom, and, unlike the last time, she closes the door carefully, leaving nothing as if she were never here.

I turn to my digital clock, frowning once I see the time. _2:56 AM._

I sigh, fishing out my packet of cigarettes and taking out a stick. I try and open the sliding door to my balcony with my elbow, but it won't budge. I sigh, again. Quietly, I sneak into the living room, after sticking back the cigarette into its box, and begin searching for the keys to my balcony.

Several minutes later, I come to realise: Rin probably stole my keys so I would stop smoking. I guess it's working, in an annoying way... She could've just asked nicely... It might've worked.

Hesitantly, I approach Rin's bedroom door, ready to barge into her room and interrogate her. And if she pulls out her 'I-know-nothing-I-swear!' act, I'll have to use..._the tickles!_

Oh man... I sound like a creepy weirdo trying to play with a little girl...ugggh.

I hold the door handle, prepared to twist it when I hear a low voice inside—and it definitely isn't Rin's voice, that's for sure. I stop immediately, and press my ear to the wooden surface. If I concentrate enough... I can hear their conversation...

"Please, _no_... Len might hear..." There was a squeal afterwards, and, almost automatically, I clench my fist. A thump echoes and I hear Kaito cluck his tongue.

"Len won't hear... He'll be asleep like a stump." He pauses to do who-knows-what. "Besides, he'll understand..._surely_..."

Then I jerk away, clutching my stomach, feeling sick. I run back to my room, slamming the door behind me. I don't care if they hear—let them know I'm wide awake. I hold my head in my hands, whimpering.

Ugh, I'm so stupid.

Finally, I walk forward, only a little, but find myself back at my bedroom door. I lock it, and punch the smooth surface several times. I watch the skin covering my knuckles bleed, but I can hardly feel the painful sting.

After staring at the wooden furniture, I fall—just inches away from the door—and I groan in pain as I feel my aching heart crumple to a thousand little pieces.

* * *

_"Wow, I can't believe it, Len, I really can't!" Rin squealed, looking at the empty apartment in awe. Len followed her inside, carrying stacks of boxes in his noodle-like arms. I guess this is where our new beginning is... Len thought as he set the boxes down._

_Rin ran around, arms outstretched and flailing. Len cracked a grin as he watched her childishly play like a toddler. "Yo, Len," a deep and soft voice called him, and he turned around to face a sweaty yet still handsome Kaito, "we have more boxes downstairs. Help me out, bro."_

_Len's smile faded, but, he still followed Kaito down to the parking lot where his car was. Though they were doing poorly in finances, they still owned quite a few belongings, and they could run a little shop if their stuff was hauled together in one._

_Rin's help was meek and tiny compared to what Kaito and Len did._

_"We'll live together," Rin exclaimed, once the day was finished and they had arranged an assortment of furniture, now sitting on the crowded floor of their new apartment, exhausted yet proud of their work, "forever and ever and ever, oh, and ever!"_

_Kaito and Len laughed at Rin's childishness. They exchanged glances, and laughed again._

_At the time, Len and Kaito were still—_somewhat_—friends._

* * *

I love rain.

It is tiny droplets of water descending from somewhere in the sky...and, it's scientifically proven, the water was previously a puddle or a part of the ocean before it was precipitated and made into a cloud. Then, it became too heavy, after many days of travelling the world; it spilled all over an entirely different place.

I like to think that the rain currently dripping onto the windows came from India...or a faraway country that I'd like to visit someday...maybe, as an example, _Australia_...or _Italy_.

I don't understand why people despise rain.

It brings us water, which, _no one can_ _deny_, every living thing on Earth needs.

I stare up at the grey and depressing sky, smiling as the rain continues to shower down. Luka notices and hums.

Luka is a girl that I refuse to target. Besides, she's dating Gakupo, a very close friend of mine, and despite the fact that I break laws on a regular basis—_I will always be a loyal friend._

And, anyway, Luka is better off as my friend. She understands me, and doesn't look at me like I'm some angel that fell from Heaven. Or an amazing idol that you want to eat up like a delicious-looking cake.

The class doesn't drag on, in my point of view, and it's thanks to the rain.

Lunch is held right after, but, we cannot go outside due to the rain. I decide to stay and eat in the classroom, hoping to watch the rainfall whilst eating a fresh banana.

Even I can't have peace.

Three girls walk up to me, shyly, and it pisses me off. Luka sees this, and marches away from her friends to come and back me up.

"Hi Len-kun~~" They giggle, and hide their faces in embarrassment. "We just wanna ask if you're '_available'_ after school?"

I roll my eyes, and Luka pinches my shoulder. "Girls, Len's a little... Well, to be frank, he's having his _man period_, so, he needs some space, okay?"

The girls nod and scramble, screaming. They are too stupid to realise that there is no such thing as a 'man period'.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask Luka. She glares back.

"I don't get a 'thank you'?" She looks serious but softens up when I give her a genuine smile. "Anyways, why would you reject those little idiots? Three girls without lifting a finger? That sounds like a jackpot, Len, _a jackpot!_"

I laugh. It is a jackpot. And Luka has good tastes.

Oh my gosh—I influenced Luka, oh no.

Luka pulls a seat beside me. She dumps her lunch on my desk, taking up the little space left. The pink-haired girl begins devouring her tuna sandwich, and she makes me eat one too.

We spend lunch together, talking about the dumbest things on the planet.

* * *

That night, Rin walks into my room, timid. _That's highly unusual._

"Hey, Len... I need your opinion on something..." I put my manga—_Kuroko no Basuke_—down. I look at her, confused.

"What is it, Rin?" I ask, and she comes forward, her hands behind her back. I turn my head a little to see if I can catch a glimpse of what she's trying to hide from me, but Rin makes sure that I don't see a single thing.

Rin blushes, a deep scarlet shade colouring her normally pale face. "_Um_..."

She pulls out her hands to unravel two very revealing and gaudy outfits. I feel the blood run up to my cheeks, and I slap my face back into its normal shade. "Which one, do you think, would look better... on _me?_" she asks, flustered as she speaks. I try to imagine her in those pieces of clothing... and I nearly faint.

"Maybe... the red one," I suggest, making Rin smile.

"I knew it was the red one...!" Rin runs up to me and traps me inside a tight hug. "Kaito's gonna _love_ it! Thanks Len!"

Then she dashes out my room, leaving me alone. I sigh. All for Kaito, huh. I think, a little—or a lot—envious than I had imagined I'd be. What a lucky _moron_.

I grab my manga and continue to read from where I left of... but every single panel is replaced by Rin in that awful and disgraceful outfit... and Kaito—_the guy who half-heartedly loves Rin_—gets to see her in that getup. While I'm here in my apartment reading a manga filled with sweaty guys and basketball.

Not that the manga's _bad_... but I'd prefer it if I was in Kaito's shoes at the moment, thank you very much.

I look to the side, and make eye contact with my mobile phone.

Maybe I should call Luka over... Perhaps play a round of _Halo_ and _Pokémon?_

The idea of spending a day with my friend will, hopefully, distract me from the fact that next door, Kaito might be having the time of his lucky life.

* * *

**18/11/13 - Yo~ Okay, I confess, I am a bad 'author', _alright?_ I said I'd publish the next chapter the week AFTER the first one was published... But, yeah, I screwed up. My great beta-reader, _Nerumi H_, had to put up with my stupidness. Seriously. I misspelled her email address, I sent the wrong file...TWICE, and, I accidentally sent one of my emails to someone else...  
**

**If you actually bothered reading this chapter, knowing I'll make another promise and probably break it, then, you, my friend, are an idiot. JUST KIDDING, BUT, REALLY, ARE YOU TAKING THE RISK? But, I WILL TRY AND MAKE IT ONE TIME.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Len No SPICE!**

I wasn't always an orphan, Rin said once.

Rin says a lot of things. 'Things' like I would be better off as an uke in a Yaoi manga or as a model for a perfume company or a tiny kick boxer. She also says things like bananas are Lucifer's fruit because they're curvy and that if she weren't born a human, she'd be a turtle. Oh, and I will never forget that one time when she tried to talk me into selling my gaming consoles so we could make money. It was one of the most weirdest and strangest things that happened to me.

Anyway, we're straying from the main topic.

So, yeah. I didn't know whether to believe or not, heck, I still don't know whether to consider it or scrap it.

Like any other orphan in the world, I did have parents. Or _parent_.

Rin says that I spent a year or two with my parents, but, for some reason, I still ended up in the village orphanage. She tells me she remembered the day a woman came running to the orphanage, soaked in rain, and she had a baby in her arms. Rin said that she was too short to see the woman's face, and she was in the middle of sheltering herself from the terrifying storm outside, but she remembered that the woman spoke urgently and desperately.

She gave the head nun the child, who was apparently me, and ran off. None of the other children could see me for a while because I was down with the flu, and it was highly contagious. She said the first time she saw me was months after the day the rainy woman showed up.

I guess I can believe Rin... Sometime during our life in the orphanage, I sneaked into the nun-who-holds-all-our-information's room, aka where the reasons why each and every one of us was there in the orphanage, and I found out that Rin was, out of all the children that were staying there at that time, the one who was there the longest.

She saw each one enter and leave—so, what she says might be true. (Although it is quite cliché... Does every woman abandon their child, _melodramatically_, in the rain?)

And that explains why I see strangers in my dreams sometimes.

Could they be my parents? Could they be my 'siblings'? Could they have been people who were doing something completely different, and I was just an accident?

Whoever they are—my 'parents' or whatever—I don't need them. And by the looks of it, since the very beginning, they didn't need _me_.

* * *

I prefer books over movies, believe it or not, it's true.

Back at the orphanage, the nuns could only afford a small bookshelf. I managed to make a mini library out of the spare room that used to be a supply room...until the nuns stopped using it.

Honestly, a book would be an appropriate present for me on my birthday. You'd think I'd ask for other things on my birthday—obvious things a normal delinquent would want, like money—but, if you give me a book, I'll love you forever, and I don't use the word 'love' lightly, unlike some _blue idiots_ I know.

That's why I and Luka are standing outside of a closed bookstore, queuing for the latest volume of a manga we both love equally. Luka is wandering aimlessly, going in and out of the line, like a lost sheep. Luka finds standing still and waiting for a couple of minutes boring. She is an impatient woman.

I stand in line, letting the music resounding from my earphones sweep me off my feet and take me to another world—somewhere far from here. At least five minutes later, Luka approaches me, and pulls my sleeve roughly, "Hey, Len, I'm going to the bathroom upstairs. Call me when they finally open up this joint."

Then she runs away, probably planning on window shopping after her toilet break to keep herself sane.

I wait in line, swaying slightly when an upbeat song pops up. Finally, a few employees brisk-walk out of the shop and, with their silver keys, they unlock the black barricades and push them up. I remove my earphones and quickly stuff them into my coat pocket whilst mentally preparing myself for mayhem. All of the sudden, as I predicted, the cluster of people goes wild, and a security team is called. They whisk me around—shoving, pushing, swearing, screaming—and somehow, I make it to the front lines. I quickly call Luka, but she doesn't answer.

Might as well buy her copy.

Once the doors open, people run inside and fight for the books, though there is plenty for everyone. There is a circle of man-hulks guarding the bookshelf filled with the latest novels, but, since I have thin arms, I'll admit that, I manage to sneak my hand under their thick ones and snatch two copies. With all the strength I have, I run to the counter, where I tell the startled woman to quickly scan the barcodes and slide it inside a bag.

Luckily, no one realises I got away with a copy, so I escape the bookstore and find Luka eating grilled tuna out in the parking lot.

"Hiya!" she smiles with a mouthful of fish. Sitting directly beside her is...that girl. She frowns once I meet her eyes, and she pulls out a fake smile when Luka turns to her.

"Miku! This is Len. We're like BFFs. He's my boyfriend's friend too." Then Luka looks to me, still devouring her snack. "Len, this is Miku. She used to live in the States, but she moved here because her brother was worried about her. Miku was left in my care since Mikuo is dealing with his own problems with Lily..._hehe_," Luka giggles to lift the tension in the air, "We don't have to worry about them, though—they'll be fine."

"So... What are you doing here?" I ask Miku, and her fake smile twitches. Maybe I sounded a little bit too...friendly?

"Well," she begins, changing her tone to a softer one, though it sounds strained, "I was here to buy groceries...after that, I was planning on window-shopping. Then I bumped into Luka at the tuna-stall. She decided to wait for you out here because it became crowded inside. And that is why Luka is eating grilled tuna." Miku ends her explanation with a half-angry sentence. Luka smirks, looking at me then at the teal-haired girl.

I stare at Miku.

She has her twin tails again, and she is in a flower-printed sundress with small high-heeled flats. She looks, yet again, uncomfortable. Maybe it's because she is not telling anyone who she really is.

"Well, hello, Hatsune," I reach my hand out, "I'm Len, Kagamine Len."

She hesitates, but, under Luka's watchful eyes, she takes my hand into her own, and shakes it with great force. Miku glares at me, although on the outside she is smiling like a pretty and innocent angel. "Nice to meet you, Kagamine. I'm Miku, Hatsune Miku."

* * *

_Kaito was the big brother of the orphanage._

_Since the place was run by female nuns, Kaito was the eldest male there. Occasionally, the village priest would stop by and talk to the children. But, aside from his visits, Kaito was the only 'man' of the organisation. Previously, Len was the 'man' of their artificial family there._

_And, in his opinion, he did a _way_ better job than Kaito._

_Most of the time, when the new kid would refuse to eat the platters served with grimy stuff, Kaito would go and talk to him, and before they knew it, that kid was the one who was first at breakfast, lunch, and dinner._

_When Kaito wasn't there, the new kid would take at least three weeks to adjust to their new surroundings and get accustomed the food served in the orphanage._

_Len would have small talk with the new kid—maybe give him some tips on how to capture the interest of adults, how to swallow down the chunky soup served in the canteen, chew the hard meat, where the easiest escape routes are, how to survive bath time without feeling thoroughly scrubbed and sore or how to keep out of trouble._

_Len would rate his tips _SIX_ gold stars._

_Although Rin said his tips frightened them, Len, however, completely disagreed._

* * *

As the wind blows my hair around, I listen to their conversation.

Akaito is sitting in front of me, arms crossed and a cheeky grin spread out on his face. He argues with a black-haired girl, Zatsune. Her appearance is like Miku's, but more dangerous and wild. You wouldn't want to get into a fist fight with her, she'd win in a heartbeat.

Akaito is keen on getting Zatsune's heart, _and crushing it of course_, but sh stubborn one. Or she knows about our playboy antics. Either way, she's not showing any signs of giving in.

Luka is beside me, whispering to Gakupo, who is beside her. On my right, a girl with dark straight hair and a large pink bow on top giggles into my ear and her breath smells like sushi...or carrots dipped in soy sauce.

Yup, we are on a triple 'date'. Though Luka and Gakupo are the only real couple in this place.

We are outside a café, a half-empty one due to the weather, and my 'date' volunteered to pay for all our expenses. Just to tick her off, I ordered the most expensive platter. But she didn't even blink when she paid the money for our food. I guess I failed.

The girl, I notice, has tremendously round eyes. Since I hardly ever bother to remember their names, I'll call her Bambi, because of her saucer-sized eyes. She clutches my hair in her fist, and she whimpers, pleading for attention. I sigh inwardly. She is so needy.

I'd rather watch Zatsune and Akaito's interesting argument over whether or not the former was related to Mikuo.

"I am not related to _whatever-his-name-is!_" Zatsune says, raising her voice a little.

"Yes, you are! You look identical...except for the _hair_, of course."

"Well, we don't have the same surname!"

"Exactly!"

This is going nowhere. And with Akaito involved in the argument, I guarantee you, it will be the dumbest and most tedious conversation you'll ever have with a human being, I'm not even joking.

"Anyway," Zatsune starts, dismissing their argument with a wave of her hand and changing the topic eagerly. She faces me, almost excitedly, "Len, I hear you own a lot of..._women_..." She eyes Bambi, who, obliviously, plays with my fingers like they're pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

"Not exactly _own_..." I correct her weakly.

Zatsune continues, ignoring my flimsy comment, "Have you ever truly..._loved_...someone...?"

At this, Bambi pays attention, and looks at me expectedly. I gulp. Now Luka and Gakupo are staring at me too. Gakupo turns pale, and Luka is wide-eyed. It's because she knows, yup, about my feelings for Rin.

"Uh...yes?" I say, sounding confused. Hearing this, saucer-eyed girl snorts.

"Len-kun isn't one who would be active in an exclusive relationship," she informs although everyone is well aware.

"Who is your 'one and only love'?" Zatsune asks, curious.

I hesitate. "Uhm, this girl I knew long ago... We haven't seen each other since then..." Ok, the first part is true, _not_ the second.

Zatsune frowns, and turns to the frozen Akaito and flicks his nose, which, in an inhuman way, makes him flail. Zatsune laughs and takes a video on her phone. Akaito continues his act just so he can keep Zatsune laughing. I smile a little.

Watching them enjoy themselves is quite heart-warming. But I admit that I am, a little, envious. When Bambi sees my smile, she rests her head on my shoulder and her hair smells like burnt wood. She ironed her hair for this date...how desperate.

Underneath the table, Luka holds my hand reassuringly to, in a strange sort of way, tell me it'll be okay. I wish I can believe Luka. But I know—in the bottom of my gut—_things will not be okay._

* * *

The next morning, Luka stops me at the school entrance, Miku in tow.

"Len, Len—I'm late for my club activities AND I have a date with my precious Gaku! Please take care of Miku for me!" She makes me hold Miku's hand before speeding off to the school.

Miku snatches her hand back, a scowl on her face. Yet again, she is in her innocent form, but she grimaces at me and looks ready to pounce. Not in the way other girls do. She would probably rip off my skin and throw my remains off a cliff...that sort of pounce.

"Let's head to school," she says curtly, and walks ahead of me. I follow, sighing.

I walk Miku to her locker. She catches me staring at her as she retrieves her books. "Shouldn't you be getting your things, too, Kagamine?" she asks, a snarky edge in her voice. I shake my head. "No, I have everything I need."

She slams her locker, not afraid of being scolded for doing so. We walk down the busy corridor, sandwiched in the middle, where people elbow past. At one point, Miku was pushed into me, and her head bumped into my cheek so it began throbbing and whenever I poked it, the lump would send jolts of pain down my spine. As I was passing a window, I saw my reflection, and frowned. The lump makes me look slightly UNattractive.

Eventually we reach Miku's first class, Biology, and we bump into Rin and Kaito. I forgot—Rin's first class is Biology too.

Rin's eyes shine as we approach her, and she runs to me and traps me in a tight embrace. I can't help but notice how nice her hair smells. "I didn't see you this morning, Len. Where were you?" Rin lifts her head, looks deep into my eyes, and asks that question.

I stiffen.

I do not want to tell her the reason why I wasn't there this morning. Or the reason why I couldn't even make it _home_ last night. Luckily Rin didn't notice... Maybe she spent the night at Kaito's and went back home in the morning to check up on me or something...

So, after the 'date' yesterday, Bambi insisted on bringing me to her house. Once we got there—'there' being a small square house at a neighbourhood at the edge of the city—she didn't even let me take my shoes off before she dragged me to her room and jumped me. She forced me to stay with her for the whole night, and, besides, I was too tired to fight her off.

"Uhm, at Akaito's," I say, though I sound I more puzzled than anything. Rin nods, smiling. She turns to Miku, who is staying suspiciously quiet...

"Hello, Miku-chan!" Rin greets happily with her million dollar grin. Miku places a small smile on her face before flicking her eyes at Kaito. Rin notices and gasps. "Oh yeah! Miku, this is Kaito, my boyfriend. I, he, and Len came from the same orphanage."

Miku nods, clearly satisfied. She walks to Kaito and shakes his hand, her eyes twinkling with an indescribable spark. "It is nice to meet you, Kaito-san. I am Hatsune Miku—an acquaintance of your girlfriend, and her roommate, Kagamine."

He smirks, and shakes her hand. "Hiya! I'm Shion Kaito!"

After being friendly, Kaito and Miku take back their hands and we stand there in a stiff silence, until—

"Oh no, it's nearly time for class!" Rin cries, staring down at her wristwatch in shock. She quickly kisses Kaito on the cheek before saying her goodbyes and dashing into the classroom. Kaito sighs dreamily and takes a while to notice that I and Miku are still standing here.

"Oh! I need to get going too! Bye, Len; bye, Hatsune-chan. It has been nice meeting you!" Kaito flashes another toothy grin, then he runs away like a wild chimpanzee. How can Rin date a guy like that?

Miku stares after him, that shiny glint still in her green eyes. That's when I notice...

I tap her shoulder. "Kaito's taken. And you should know...by Rin. You can't have him."

Miku falls out of her daze by shaking her head around and around. She snaps her head at me, and frowns. "I want him," she states bluntly, "but not in that way."

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean—?"

"Remember the time you bumped into me?" Miku interrupts me, a frustrated aura around her. "With my work uniform? Yeah, I work for a model agency. We've been looking for someone handsome and charming enough to model the latest fragrance of Magic," then she points towards the direction Kaito ran off to, "and he, my dear 'friend', is perfect for the job."

I grimace. Did Miku just call me her _friend?_ "I don't think Kaito would want that."

Miku huffs. "I'll just have to force him."

Then Miku sticks her tongue out at me and walks into the classroom, sashaying in a confident way that makes most boys drool, except me, who silently wishes she wanted Kaito in a 'romantic' way.

* * *

_"A bike?!" Rin cried, her hands pressed against her cheeks, her voice breathless and pitchy._

_A shiny and small and green bike stood in front of the orphans. The older boy, beside the bike, grinned. "It was my old bike... I got my dad to fix it up, because before, it was all rusty and pretty much falling apart. Now, it's almost brand new!"_

_Len looked up to that charming face that many of the village women adored. Though he can no longer remember that face, his voice still echoes through his head. Len managed a smile. "Why don't you keep it?"_

_He blushed. "I'm too..._tall_...for it... But, it's perfect for you guys!"_

_Rin clapped her hands, laughing her lungs out. All the orphans began cheering, and suddenly, there was a line to ride the bike._

_All day, the head-nun's son taught the little and scruffy orphans how to ride a bike._

_And that was the day Len got his first serious injury._

* * *

I hear Rin's cry from my bedroom.

I run out immediately, grabbing an umbrella in the process, in case a weapon is needed.

I find her in the kitchen, staring at the upper row of cabinets hanging on our wall. She holds a can of mushroom soup—probably past its expiration date—and she looks into an open cabinet, or to be more specific, an empty one. I drop the umbrella, but then I place it out of the way in case Rin sees and realises I was dumb enough to think she was being attacked.

"We have no food, Len!" Rin sniffles once she notices my presence. I walk closer, my hand outstretched to tap her head, or something. I freeze. Rin never really cared whether we had food or not. She would always raid Kaito's fridge, and bring back her loot... Hm, how suspicious.

I let my hand fall to my side, "You've never had the urge to cook before... Why start now?"

She locks eyes with me, baby blue clashing with cerulean. Rin sighs, "We have a guest, Lenny, _a guest!_ It's only ever Kaito or the delivery man... I have to make them feel at home!"

I frown. I wonder who it can be. I leave Rin to sulk over the can of soup in her hands, and I walk out into our living room. Sitting on our white fluffed sofa, her left leg over her right, is Miku. She is in her angelic form again, and she has an impassive expression on her face.

"Good morning, Kagamine," she greets flatly. I wave at her. She scowls.

"What are you doing here, anyway, Hatsune?" I ask, flopping on the soft armchair across from her. Hearing this, Miku grins like a madman. She shakes it off, but remains suspicious.

She cocks her head to the side, a cheery and sugary smile on her face. "I just wanted to visit my dear..._friends_..." She cringes at the word.

Yeah right. I bet Miku only tolerates me because I'm close to Rin and, supposedly, Kaito. She is being friendly to Rin because Rin is loveable like that. She has no good reason to be here... Well, not really.

I roll my eyes. She may be a mysterious person, yet she can never hide the obvious. "Are you here to scout Kaito?"

She blushes, and turns her head away, her hands covering her cheeks. "No way!"

Though it's painfully obvious, I still facepalm.

Rin enters the room, a tray of glasses filled to the brim with orange juice, and she laughs when she sees the flustered Miku. She glances to me, still laughing. "Trying to pick her up, Lenny-kins?"

Miku immediately flinches and grimaces. "_Never!_" She glares at me. "Not over my dead body."

Rin stops laughing, but continues grinning. She places the tray in front of us, and I grab the glass nearest to me and take tiny sips. Miku does the same, and she keeps staring at me as Rin rambles on about pudding cups and Leprechauns.

Ah, 'normal' conversations with Rin...

Suddenly, Miku puts her glass down, causing Rin to stop babbling. "I need to talk to Len for a second, Nakahara-chan. I hope you don't mind."

Rin's eyes are wide and surprised but she laughs and shoos us. "Ah, young love..." I hear her mutter dreamily as Miku drags me to the kitchen. She turns to me, stony-faced.

"Will Kaito drop by? And when?" Miku asks, tugging my shirt persistently.

"I don't know." I reply lamely, "Maybe soon, maybe never."

Miku's grip loosens as she grits her teeth, irritated. "If he does drop by, keep Rin busy, okay?"

I bite my lip. "..._Fine_."

Satisfied with my answer, Miku drags me back to the living room. Rin raises an eyebrow at our arrival. "Wow, that was quick. You know, if you really wanted to 'chat', Len's bedroom is the second last door to the left~!"

I blush, and I throw a pillow at Rin, which she dodges whilst cackling. Miku frowns, but wipes it off when Rin turns to her, a grin that exposes her teeth dancing on her face. "Whether or not you become Len's wife, I still want to be friends, okay?"

Miku has her arms crossed, trying to act cool, I'm guessing, but cracks under Rin's eyes. In the end, she stubbornly moves to sit beside Rin. "Please take care of me, Rin-chan!" she chirps happily, indicating the start of their 'friendship'.

"Of course, Miku-chan!" Rin replies, a happy-go-lucky aura around her. They continue chatting; Rin brings up Leprechauns, again, and I do not want to hear about little magical beings that originate from Ireland.

I leave them be and begin making my way to my bedroom, but realize that I need a potty break. Since the bathroom is right beside Rin's bedroom, I can hear everything from the toilet, and what I do hear is constant shuffling inside her room.

After finishing my business, I quickly exit the restroom and barge into Rin's orange and yellow coloured bedroom. I gasp, and I automatically clench my fist. A tall figure is in the middle of returning to the room, from her balcony, and he only has his shorts on so I can see his toned chest and slightly tan skin.

He looks up from his phone, which he had been playing with, and gasps when he sees me, "Len!"

I grit my teeth, and I skilfully suppress a growl. "_Kaito_."

Kaito turns pale. "This looks...like what you think it is...but, _hey!_ We're dating now and it's fine, yeah?"

It is not ok, much less 'fine'. Yes, couples can do that, heck, you don't even need to be in an exclusive relationship to do 'that'. I do it. But, I can't accept this. How can they keep this a secret from me? Not only that, why is it always Kaito? She only ever sees Kaito...and that upsets me.

Whenever Rin looks at me, she thinks: childhood friend, way-out-of-my-league, basically my doppelgänger, my roommate, my boyfriend's so-called 'friend', and my best friend forever. I've been friend-zoned; I, _Kagamine Len_, was (indirectly) rejected by the one girl I've truly loved.

Then there's Kaito...the bastard who barely gets through the day without stuffing his face with ice cream. Obviously, I am the better choice.

But no. _This_ happens.

"Yeah... I guess..." I grumble, kicking a piece of discarded clothing on the carpeted floor. Even though Kaito flashes a million dollar smile at me, even though I seem like I have accepted their relationship now, although Kaito thinks we're one step closer to rekindling our old friendship—I can still feel my heart being crushed to a gazillion pieces, and it hurts.

I try a smile at him, and he laughs.

How much self-control does it take to keep me from punching him right in the face?

A lot.

...

And the fact that Rin adores his face, also, kept me from rearranging it.

Maybe I'm just naturally a good guy... Or am I just so convincing that I've made myself believe in the mask that I'm wearing...and the lies I spill regularly...

_How ironic._

* * *

**6/12/13 - Oh geez, I broke the promise again. Actually, at first, I thought that the one at fault was my beta, but it was ME. Aha. But, hey! I made it right? :D**

* * *

**Review Replies~ (That I forgot to do in the last two chapters because of all the problems last time... c':)**

**B.L - I hope you forgive me for my late update...(again)! And thank you for reviewing twice!**

**Lolly1o1 - Omg, you actually ****_laughed_**** at that? XD Trust me, that was NOT on purpose! I feel the need to thank you for laughing at that bad joke~ Thank you for your review! **

** - Forgive me, please! Urgh, I hope you read chapter 2... Though it came out late. ; - ;**

**Purplepunk104 - I AM SO SORRY I BET I DISAPPOINTED YOU. I REAAALLY wanted to update on time because you wanted it soon, but I failed! *cries* Anyway, thank you for reviewing~!**

**xXMissyKix - Oh gosh, I think you're going to hate me for not updating on time, again. Thank you for the compliment, though! I don't know if you liked this chapter... I mean, with Miku in the scene, wouldn't she stand in the way of Len and Rin falling in love?! Ah, I hope you forgive me, and thank you for your review! :3**


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